Book an Adventure @ the Library

One of the great things about becoming a reader is that you have the ability to go anywhere, be anyone and learn anything you desire.

This week I have booked readers on a trip to discover lands far from Texas. You better dress warm because here the frigid temperatures have dipped well below freezing and you are in a race against time.

It is Iditarod day. Fifty-six dog teams will race through 1,151 miles of rugged Alaskan terrain from Anchorage to Nome. Akiak knows these miles well. As lead dog, she has raced the incredible trail before, but never won. She is ten years old: if she is going to win, it must be now. When snow hurts her paw on the fourth day out, Mick, her musher, must leave her behind and continue the race without her. The rules say once a dog is dropped from the race, it may not rejoin the team. But Akiak doesn't know about rules. She is a lead dog, and her place is with the team. Nothing, not blizzards, not breaking ice, not the people out to catch her, will stop Akiak from catching up to her team. The question is, can the team still win? Robert J. Blake's majestic snow capes will lead you through this unforgettable tale of a dog with a hero's heart, a dog who will not give up. Akiak will leave you cheering.

Togo wasn't meant to be a sled dog. He was too feisty and independent to make a good team member, let alone a leader. But Togo is determined, and when his trainer, Leonhard Seppala, gives him a chance, he soon becomes one of the fastest sled dogs in history! His skills are put to the ultimate test, though, when Seppala and his team are called on to make the now-famous run across the frozen Arctic to deliver the serum that will save Alaska from a life-threatening outbreak of diphtheria. Robert J. Blake's detailed, carefully researched oil paintings complete the story of the adventure that inspired the internationally famous Iditarod race.

This book commemorates the origins of the Iditarod as it tells how 20 dogsled teams braved subzero temperatures and blizzard conditions in 1925 to run over 600 miles in six days in a desperate relay race that saved the people of Nome, Alaska, during a diphtheria outbreak.

In the Colorado mountain town of Steamboat Springs, there must be three hundred dogs. Jack's malamute, McKinley, is the leader of them all. But Jack has no way of knowing that. For him, his family's dog is just a great pal. And protector. But Jack has a rival for the job of head dog. And, with the sudden appearance of a she-wolf, not only McKinley's job, but his life is in danger.

Tween Friendly

What begins as a training run with sled dogs turns into a race against time for Tatum and her new friend, a Siberian Yupik boy named Cole. When a freak blizzard hits this remote island off the coast of Alaska, the duo seeks shelter overnight in a dilapidated hunting cabin. Their harrowing ordeal goes from bad to worse when wind-driven snow forces them to risk an alternate route. Stranded in the untamed wilderness, they must rely on each other--as well as their faithful huskies--to survive sub-zero temperatures and bone-numbing exhaustion. Worse still, their food supply is dangerously low. The most daunting decision comes when the strongest dog runs away. One person must go for help, while one must stay behind. Either way, they'll both be alone in the wild for an uncertain amount of time.

Information for Persons with Disabilities: Harris County Public Library will make reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities who are interested in attending library programs. To make a request for yourself or someone you know, please notify the Branch Librarian two working days in advance of the program.